Thursday, March 11, 2010
Yesh Din V-Yesh Dayan Music Video
This song has a catchy tune. Hopefully it will help to wake us up that Eretz Yisroel belongs to the Jewish People because God Almighty gave it to the Jewish People. Every bit of it.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The UN Watch Video exposing the UN's Anti Israel Bias.
The director of UN Watch speaks out against the UN's anti Israel bias. This video is a few years old already but it's very relevant and it's also very widely watched. The UN was established in order to uphold human rights but it has not lived up to its mission thus far. The world has to come together to make sure that the UN does what it was meant to do, to insure real peace in the world by protecting justice and righteousness and rooting out evil and injustice.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Where is G-d? The doctrine of Tzimtzum.
Most people contemplate, at one time or another in life, why things are they way they are? In particular, many ask, ‘If G-d truly does exist, then why don’t we see him openly? Why don’t we see miracles all the time, for instance?’ Seemingly, the real force behind this line of questioning comes from a simple idea: if G-d is all-powerful, then how can there be any space for us and our free will? In other words, if G-d is in control, then how can we have free choice? In order to answer such questions the famous Kabbalist, the Ari Zal, introduced a concept known as the Doctrine of Tzimtzum.
Tzimtzum means concealment. The Kabbalists explain that in addition to G-d’s divine power to create from naught, he also has the power to conceal Himself from the created. As G-d says in the verse, ‘On that day I shall surely conceal Myself.’ Think of it as a kind of Divine self-restraint. G-d ‘holds himself back’ from revealing his presence, thus giving us space to have our own sense of self. This should answer the questions mentioned above. Even though G-d exists, it does not immediately follow that His existence should be readily apparent to us, since He concealed himself using the power of the Tzimtzum. Upon closer inspection, however, it seems that the essence of the question still remains. The question now becomes, ‘Why did G-d conceal Himself?’ To answer this one, we shall need to resort to analogy.
The Rebbe Rashab gave a famous tale to illustrate G-d’s concealment: There once was a father and a son. The father wanted to arouse the son’s inherit love for his father, but so long as the father was around and openly close to the son, the son could not fully appreciate his father. So the father decided to conceal himself from his son. At first the son was bewildered: ‘Where is my father?’ The son set out in search of his father. He traversed down all the paths his father used to frequent in order to find him. All the time, the son’s certainty that his father loved him never wavered. This certainty helped him to search more, and though he could not see his father, he knew that he was right on his trail, as though his father had just disappeared beyond the horizon.
The father is G-d, and his son is us, his creations. At first, the father openly loves his son, which signifies how our souls stood besides G-d in heaven before the creation of the universe. G-d concealed himself in order that we should love him that much more when He finally reveals himself to us. Thus the Jewish sages state that, ‘One is required to say, ‘for my benefit and pleasure did G-d conceal himself from us.’’ The paths that the son travels in his search are the Torah and Commandments, which are called ‘the paths of G-d.’ Just as the son was certain that his father loved him, so to we must be absolutely certain that all things come from G-d and everything is for the good. We may not yet comprehend the good, but good it is. In Chassidic circles, serving G-d with joy is of utmost importance. Finally, though G-d is concealed from direct observation by our five senses, we can arrive at knowledge of his existence though careful contemplation. Thus it is as though our ‘father’ has just disappeared beyond the horizion; though we cannot see him directly, we are certain he is there.
One more thing: the above quoted verse, ‘On that day I shall surely conceal Myself,’ is citied by the sages as proof that the story of Ester has a source in the written law. They draw this conclusion from the fact that the name ‘Ester’ and the word for conceal, ‘Aster,’ share the same root letters. The Purim story of Ester has great relevance for our time. It is unique in that, of all the books of the Torah, G-d’s name is never mentioned in Ester. In fact, there are no revealed miracles in the entire story. This represents the great concealment that G-d has wrought in Ester’s time and ours. Yet it is known that, of all the books of the prophets and writings, only the book of Ester will not be annulled after the Moshiach comes. This is because it is specifically through the concealment, or Tzimtzum, that we come to experience the ultimate revelation: G-d’s Essence. Happy searching!
Tzimtzum means concealment. The Kabbalists explain that in addition to G-d’s divine power to create from naught, he also has the power to conceal Himself from the created. As G-d says in the verse, ‘On that day I shall surely conceal Myself.’ Think of it as a kind of Divine self-restraint. G-d ‘holds himself back’ from revealing his presence, thus giving us space to have our own sense of self. This should answer the questions mentioned above. Even though G-d exists, it does not immediately follow that His existence should be readily apparent to us, since He concealed himself using the power of the Tzimtzum. Upon closer inspection, however, it seems that the essence of the question still remains. The question now becomes, ‘Why did G-d conceal Himself?’ To answer this one, we shall need to resort to analogy.
The Rebbe Rashab gave a famous tale to illustrate G-d’s concealment: There once was a father and a son. The father wanted to arouse the son’s inherit love for his father, but so long as the father was around and openly close to the son, the son could not fully appreciate his father. So the father decided to conceal himself from his son. At first the son was bewildered: ‘Where is my father?’ The son set out in search of his father. He traversed down all the paths his father used to frequent in order to find him. All the time, the son’s certainty that his father loved him never wavered. This certainty helped him to search more, and though he could not see his father, he knew that he was right on his trail, as though his father had just disappeared beyond the horizon.
The father is G-d, and his son is us, his creations. At first, the father openly loves his son, which signifies how our souls stood besides G-d in heaven before the creation of the universe. G-d concealed himself in order that we should love him that much more when He finally reveals himself to us. Thus the Jewish sages state that, ‘One is required to say, ‘for my benefit and pleasure did G-d conceal himself from us.’’ The paths that the son travels in his search are the Torah and Commandments, which are called ‘the paths of G-d.’ Just as the son was certain that his father loved him, so to we must be absolutely certain that all things come from G-d and everything is for the good. We may not yet comprehend the good, but good it is. In Chassidic circles, serving G-d with joy is of utmost importance. Finally, though G-d is concealed from direct observation by our five senses, we can arrive at knowledge of his existence though careful contemplation. Thus it is as though our ‘father’ has just disappeared beyond the horizion; though we cannot see him directly, we are certain he is there.
One more thing: the above quoted verse, ‘On that day I shall surely conceal Myself,’ is citied by the sages as proof that the story of Ester has a source in the written law. They draw this conclusion from the fact that the name ‘Ester’ and the word for conceal, ‘Aster,’ share the same root letters. The Purim story of Ester has great relevance for our time. It is unique in that, of all the books of the Torah, G-d’s name is never mentioned in Ester. In fact, there are no revealed miracles in the entire story. This represents the great concealment that G-d has wrought in Ester’s time and ours. Yet it is known that, of all the books of the prophets and writings, only the book of Ester will not be annulled after the Moshiach comes. This is because it is specifically through the concealment, or Tzimtzum, that we come to experience the ultimate revelation: G-d’s Essence. Happy searching!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Has America Lost its Soul?
There are more and more stories coming out each day that The Great American Empire has reached its' peak and is now all of a sudden on the verge of collapse. How did we get to this point one may ask? Well, with the advent of new technologies and a much faster world, the country has lost its' sense of morality and the values that it was built on. In the eighties, nineties and the early zeros we jumped from making money - and lots of it - to forgetting right from wrong and left from right altogether. Lying lawyers. Cheating businessmen became the status quo. We went from internet bubbles to mortgage bubbles. Now we realize that there is no more cheating and lying that can save us. We have a huge debt on the books and people want to know, "how does one go about making an honest living like people used to?" How do we build a country with wholesome family values. Where children are taught right from wrong? We have to rebuild this nation anew. Who will show us the way? I think Sarah Palin had one good idea. Lets use this countries' great G-d given natural resources. We will make energy, hire many people with different types of jobs. We will not send out jobs to China and India; we will hire people who live here in America. Let's go back to making things that last and not things which are cheap, made in other countries and are worth little and break fast. There are many things to work on. The world is ready to live a G-dly life. We just need young people and old to realize that the world is ready to live a Moshiach reality.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Rosh Chodesh Adar - when we enter Adar we increase in simcha - joy and happiness. And simcha breaks all boundaries. A short story.
A great chossid once told a story to the chassidim that late one night, while he was learning, all of a sudden he felt a presence of another person sitting right next to him. The chosid became anxious, extinguished the candle that he was learning by and went straight to bed. "Why did you do that?" the chassidim asked. "Maybe it was "Eliyahu Hanovi." "It was not, answered Reb Shlomo. "Eliyahu Hanovi is always happy and this person was full of sadness. So I knew that he came from the side of evil (sitra ahra)."
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Sarah Palin's Common Sense Speech at the Tea Party
some points from the speech:
drill here, drill now to help economy and make jobs
fear of G-d will help America to prosper!
do not make friends with terrorists
don't be afraid of what the popular media thinks and says
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Two great stories of the Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka that were heard recently
The first story might help us to understand the second story.
There was a lady who lived in Crown Heights above the old Albany Bakery and she realized that every morning at the same time a car would pull up to the bakery with the Rebbetzin in and her driver. The driver would park, come out of the car into the bakery and buy bread and pastries probably for the Rebbe. The lady lived above the bakery and when she had guests over at her apartment she would close the blinds or divert them away from the windows in order not to disturb the Rebbetzin. One day a lady came over who had been married for eight years without having been blessed with children. So the lady of the house said “I usually don't do this but this is an exceptional case” she told her to go outside and stand on the sidewalk where the Rebbetzin's car would arrive shortly. The Rebbetzin's car pulled up and the Rebbetzin opened the window slightly and gave a glance at the young lady who had positioned herself next to the Rebbetzin's window. Nine months later the lady gave birth to a beautiful baby.
These stories were heard in numerous places including from Yosef Paltiel's shiurim, check them out at insidechassidus.org
Saturday, February 6, 2010
The Physical is Connected to the Spiritual and why learn Chassidus Chabad?
Many people ask why should I, or any other person, learn Chassidus? Firstly, Chassidus was not around until relatively recently and secondly, when a person learns Chassidus the more learned he becomes, the more “bittul” (nullified, void, negated, humble) he becomes. When a person learns nigleh the greater he becomes, the more important, big and respected he is. When a person learns chassidus the opposite happens. So what is the advantage in that? The Lubavitcher Rebbe addressed this question in a sicha in 1952.
We can see the answers to this question from a disease that has unfortunately become strong relatively recently in the course of history. The Rebbe did not even want to say the name of the disease because it is so destructive. When it comes to a regular sickness, the way to cure a person is by strengthening the body. But when it comes to this disease the way to battle it is to destroy it or cut it out of the body. So if a person would come along and claim that he does not want that this disease be destroyed but that he wants that this thing should remain in his body because after all it's a part of him and it adds to him, we would tell this person that this particular sickness has to destroyed.
It used to be that when people learned Torah they felt nullified to G-d Almighty naturally because they saw the G-dliness behind the words of Torah. But a new phenomenon has occurred in more recent times. When a person learns nigleh of Torah, like Jews always have, he builds up his ego and “feels” himself to be a real something. This "something"is not a good addition but an aberration that should be eliminated because it is not a healthy trait. The way to fight this disease is to learn Chabad Chassidus, which shows and reveals the G-dliness behind the words of Torah.
So this answers both of our questions. 1) Since this spiritual disease did not exist in previous generations therefore the cure “Chassidus” was not needed, as it is known that G-d sends the cure before he sends the decease. 2) The reason why learning Chassidus makes a person less of a “something” is because this is precisely the cure which is required for our times and our generation and our problems.
Have a great week everyone!
We can see the answers to this question from a disease that has unfortunately become strong relatively recently in the course of history. The Rebbe did not even want to say the name of the disease because it is so destructive. When it comes to a regular sickness, the way to cure a person is by strengthening the body. But when it comes to this disease the way to battle it is to destroy it or cut it out of the body. So if a person would come along and claim that he does not want that this disease be destroyed but that he wants that this thing should remain in his body because after all it's a part of him and it adds to him, we would tell this person that this particular sickness has to destroyed.
It used to be that when people learned Torah they felt nullified to G-d Almighty naturally because they saw the G-dliness behind the words of Torah. But a new phenomenon has occurred in more recent times. When a person learns nigleh of Torah, like Jews always have, he builds up his ego and “feels” himself to be a real something. This "something"is not a good addition but an aberration that should be eliminated because it is not a healthy trait. The way to fight this disease is to learn Chabad Chassidus, which shows and reveals the G-dliness behind the words of Torah.
So this answers both of our questions. 1) Since this spiritual disease did not exist in previous generations therefore the cure “Chassidus” was not needed, as it is known that G-d sends the cure before he sends the decease. 2) The reason why learning Chassidus makes a person less of a “something” is because this is precisely the cure which is required for our times and our generation and our problems.
Have a great week everyone!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
If You Don't Point at Yourself, the Demons Can't See You.
My friend once asked me, "Hey Big Benny-ya-min, what do all the spiritual realms like briah and atzilus really mean? What are they? Whats going on up there?" My answer is as follows: There is a great general principle in chassidus, which details the difference between our physical world and the more heavenly realms. Down here, in our world, the existence of the universe is readily apparent and obvious, while the existence of G-dliness is not so obvious. By contrast, in the 'heavenly realms,' the existence of G-dliness is obvious, while the existence of our world is not so obvious. [Now, that is not to say that we cannot observe G-dliness at work in our world, it is just not so obvious, and requires some careful contemplation to arrive at the conclusion that G-dliness exists. Similarly, the angels and demons, who reside in the heavenly realms, may have to struggle to see that you and I exist.]
Keeping this general principle in mind, we can understand many different Jewish commandments and customs. For one, it is known that when teaching how to ritually slaughter an animal, you should never use your self as an example. In other words, you should not say, 'Cut from here to here,' and point to your own neck. I asked my Rabbi why you shouldn't do that, and he said because the 'Shaydeem,' or demons, won't see you and bring harm. You see, the 'Demons,' or destructive forces, find it difficult to perceive our existence in much the same fashion that we have difficulty perceiving their heavenly realms. Typically, the demons can't see us, but when we point at ourselves we give away our position and then they can see us.
Why does pointing at oneself make us visible to the demons? In the spiritual realms where G-dliness is readily apparent to all, no one would ever 'point at himself.' Being so close to G-d makes one very humble. Furthermore, since nothing truly exists besides G-d, all of the angels feel very strongly that they don't have a separate identity to themselves. They feel the way a tiny candle feels when it is brought near by, and unites with, a large torch. The flame is there, but it is buttle b'metzious. In other words, the angels and demons would never point at themselves because they don't really feel that they themselves actually exist as entities independent from G-d. The act of pointing at oneself implies not only that you exist, but that you exist as a different and independent entity unto yourself. Therefore, only someone from our physical realm, where G-dliness is concealed, would ever point at himself and thereby claim that he exists, and thus the angels or demons can see you. And this, perhaps, explains why one should never use your own body as an example when you teach someone where to cut a neck for ritual slaughter... because you would be pointing at yourself!
Pointing at yourself is important in another way. But first, a slight preface: Jews don't believe in evil, right? Well, the sages never said 'there is no evil, period.' If you pay close attention, the phrase they use a lot is that 'no bad or evil descends from above. [Ein Rah Yored M'l'maylah] The bad in our world did not come from above; rather, we messed up and brought it upon ourselves. How did we bring it upon ourselves? The Alter Rebbe, in chapter 11 of Iggeres HaKodesh in Tanya, says that anyone who is sad or down shows on himself that he has bad and lacks of any good. In the origional, he is, 'mareh b'atzmoh sheyesh ra.'
In other words, the whole concept of 'pointing to yourself' is an attribute to be abhorred. This practice is the source for our feeling bad. The more we exist as separate entities, as big egos, the more pain we feel, because we become so focused on ourselves and we loose our connection to G-d, the true source of our life and livelyhood. But the more we worry less about ourselves, and worry more for our fellow Jews and for the Shechinah which is in exile with us, the less we feel ourselves and the more we feel true connection to our Higher Power.
This brings to mind some chassidic stories I recall. A chossid went to a Rebbe, and said, "How do I learn to deal with all the troubles in my life?" The Rebbe told him to go see a certain great Jew who was extremely poor, and was sick very often. When the chossid met this special Jew, he said, 'Special Jew, my Rebbe sent me here so you could teach me to rejoice in my sufferings. How do you do it?' To this, the special Jew replied, 'I don't know why the Rebbe sent you here. I haven't suffered a day in my life."
The other story that comes to mind goes a little something like this:
A great disciple of a chassidic master was knocking on his masters door. The master seemed to be a little late answering the door, so the disciple knocked and repeated, 'Its me! Its me!" Later on, at a special dinner, this disciple was accused of stealing some nice silver dining ware. In fact, some of the guests held him down and threatened to lash him with a belt. To this, the disciple responded, 'It wasn't me! It wasn't me!' They found out, in the end, that the disciple did not, in fact, steal the silverware. Later, the Chassidic Master informed his disciple that his initial claims of 'Its me its me,' created a spiritual blemish that had to be rectified by screaming, 'its not me! its not me!.
Ok ok, one more story and then I go to bed :). A great man once merited to see where the souls go to after they leave their physical bodies. The man saw the souls in heaven and the souls in purgatory. [Jews do not believe in hell, so he didn't get to see those ones]. In heaven, all the souls were seated at a table upon which was a great feast. But the utensils the souls were using were so long that they could not feed themselves. Yet the souls were fat and happy, nonetheless.
In purgatory, it looked exactly the same: souls sitting around a great banquet with forks to eat with that were too long to feed oneself with. Here, the souls were famished and starving. The great man said to his guide, 'Why are the souls here starving, while the souls in heaven are so well fed? After all, everything is the same both in purgatory and heaven, in that the utensils are so long that no one can feed himself!' His guide responded, "Yes, it is true, a soul in either realm cannot feed himself, but in heaven, we have learned to feed one another." BOOYAH
Keeping this general principle in mind, we can understand many different Jewish commandments and customs. For one, it is known that when teaching how to ritually slaughter an animal, you should never use your self as an example. In other words, you should not say, 'Cut from here to here,' and point to your own neck. I asked my Rabbi why you shouldn't do that, and he said because the 'Shaydeem,' or demons, won't see you and bring harm. You see, the 'Demons,' or destructive forces, find it difficult to perceive our existence in much the same fashion that we have difficulty perceiving their heavenly realms. Typically, the demons can't see us, but when we point at ourselves we give away our position and then they can see us.
Why does pointing at oneself make us visible to the demons? In the spiritual realms where G-dliness is readily apparent to all, no one would ever 'point at himself.' Being so close to G-d makes one very humble. Furthermore, since nothing truly exists besides G-d, all of the angels feel very strongly that they don't have a separate identity to themselves. They feel the way a tiny candle feels when it is brought near by, and unites with, a large torch. The flame is there, but it is buttle b'metzious. In other words, the angels and demons would never point at themselves because they don't really feel that they themselves actually exist as entities independent from G-d. The act of pointing at oneself implies not only that you exist, but that you exist as a different and independent entity unto yourself. Therefore, only someone from our physical realm, where G-dliness is concealed, would ever point at himself and thereby claim that he exists, and thus the angels or demons can see you. And this, perhaps, explains why one should never use your own body as an example when you teach someone where to cut a neck for ritual slaughter... because you would be pointing at yourself!
Pointing at yourself is important in another way. But first, a slight preface: Jews don't believe in evil, right? Well, the sages never said 'there is no evil, period.' If you pay close attention, the phrase they use a lot is that 'no bad or evil descends from above. [Ein Rah Yored M'l'maylah] The bad in our world did not come from above; rather, we messed up and brought it upon ourselves. How did we bring it upon ourselves? The Alter Rebbe, in chapter 11 of Iggeres HaKodesh in Tanya, says that anyone who is sad or down shows on himself that he has bad and lacks of any good. In the origional, he is, 'mareh b'atzmoh sheyesh ra.'
In other words, the whole concept of 'pointing to yourself' is an attribute to be abhorred. This practice is the source for our feeling bad. The more we exist as separate entities, as big egos, the more pain we feel, because we become so focused on ourselves and we loose our connection to G-d, the true source of our life and livelyhood. But the more we worry less about ourselves, and worry more for our fellow Jews and for the Shechinah which is in exile with us, the less we feel ourselves and the more we feel true connection to our Higher Power.
This brings to mind some chassidic stories I recall. A chossid went to a Rebbe, and said, "How do I learn to deal with all the troubles in my life?" The Rebbe told him to go see a certain great Jew who was extremely poor, and was sick very often. When the chossid met this special Jew, he said, 'Special Jew, my Rebbe sent me here so you could teach me to rejoice in my sufferings. How do you do it?' To this, the special Jew replied, 'I don't know why the Rebbe sent you here. I haven't suffered a day in my life."
The other story that comes to mind goes a little something like this:
A great disciple of a chassidic master was knocking on his masters door. The master seemed to be a little late answering the door, so the disciple knocked and repeated, 'Its me! Its me!" Later on, at a special dinner, this disciple was accused of stealing some nice silver dining ware. In fact, some of the guests held him down and threatened to lash him with a belt. To this, the disciple responded, 'It wasn't me! It wasn't me!' They found out, in the end, that the disciple did not, in fact, steal the silverware. Later, the Chassidic Master informed his disciple that his initial claims of 'Its me its me,' created a spiritual blemish that had to be rectified by screaming, 'its not me! its not me!.
Ok ok, one more story and then I go to bed :). A great man once merited to see where the souls go to after they leave their physical bodies. The man saw the souls in heaven and the souls in purgatory. [Jews do not believe in hell, so he didn't get to see those ones]. In heaven, all the souls were seated at a table upon which was a great feast. But the utensils the souls were using were so long that they could not feed themselves. Yet the souls were fat and happy, nonetheless.
In purgatory, it looked exactly the same: souls sitting around a great banquet with forks to eat with that were too long to feed oneself with. Here, the souls were famished and starving. The great man said to his guide, 'Why are the souls here starving, while the souls in heaven are so well fed? After all, everything is the same both in purgatory and heaven, in that the utensils are so long that no one can feed himself!' His guide responded, "Yes, it is true, a soul in either realm cannot feed himself, but in heaven, we have learned to feed one another." BOOYAH
Monday, January 25, 2010
Yud Shevat
Yud Alef Shevat the Rebbe took on the position of Rebbe officially in 1951. The Rebbe came late to the farbrengen to 770 which was very unusual. He had spent the time with his mother Rebbetzin Chana. The Rebbe said a few sichos until a chosid stood up on a table and demanded that the Rebbe say a maimar. So the Rebbe calmed him and started with The Friedeker Rebbe's maimer that he had prepared for yud Shevat.. Basi Legani .. And then the Rebbe started Basi Legani Ahosi Kala.. After the first ois they sang negunim and the chosid Rabbi Nemtzov stood up and said a loud shechianu to which all answered a loud amen.
We are the seventh generation. Therefore it has fallen into our hands to bring down God's presence into the physical world. All sevenths are beloved by Hashem not because of their great service or greatness but simply because they are the seventh from the first. And so it is with us the seventh generation of Chabad Rebbeim. May the Rebbe lead us out of Golus now.
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Oprah Winfrey Book Club for Jews!
As is well known, Oprah Winfrey has a book club, in which she showcases a new book that she likes every so often. In fact, with an endorsement by Oprah Winfrey, an author may be catapulted from obscurity to stardom faster than you can say, 'Oh my gosh did you see Oprah yesterday?!' Being an accomplished Kabbalist myself, it is my desire to 'elevate' the sparks trapped in Oprah's book club. So I decided to start my OWN book club, specifically tailored to Jews and the imminent arrival of the King Moshiach. Brace yourself, world: here comes Benny's Bodacious Book Club!
The first book to be showcased in Benny's Bodacious Book Club is a book about a startling trend in warfare in recent history. As is well known, one of the key signs heralding the coming of the King Moshiach, a.k.a. the Jewish Messiah, is the end of war. "And he, [the king Moshiach,] will judge many nations... [and as a result] They shall beat their swords in to plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore." That was from Isaiah, the prophet [not your alcoholic roommate at Yeshivah University.] Furthermore, the Rambam codifies this matter as law. But war is still around, right?
Perhaps not, says John Mueller, author of 'The Remnants of War,' our first book in Benny's Bodacious Book Club. In this book, Mueller, a political scientist, advances the theory that war has been in steady decline in recent history, and trends show that it may be at an end. Indeed, major war between developed nations has not been witnessed since World War II.
In his words, "The most notable and striking statistic in the history of warfare is zero: the number of wars conducted between developed states since the end of World War II. This is a massive shattering of historical precedent for these once-war-like countries; indeed, they have now been at peace with each other for the longest stretch of time in their history. "Given the scale and frequency of war during the preceding centuries in Europe," notes Luard, "This is a change of spectacular proportions; perhaps the single most striking discontinuity that the history of warfare has anywhere provided." " ( Page 81, emphasis is mine.)
Indeed, it seems one need only open his eyes and see that the world is a lot safer than it used to be. The only wars left, Mueller contends, are wars predicated by small bands of criminals which could easily be policed by disciplined armies of America and the like. Mueller takes us on an exciting ride through history, showing how the popular conception of war has changed over the ages. Interestingly, war was once considered to be a desirable, purifying, and fun enterprise, that is, until the anti-war movement and the horrors of Wolrd Wars I and II.
In my humble opinion, this would support the theory that World War II and related events constitute the ‘birthpangs of Moshiach,’ the terrible events that will take place shortly before the Moshiach arrives. And with war on the decline, look out for King Moshiach to put it permanently to rest. So go ahead and buy one of John Mueller’s ‘The Remnants of War’ to put in the bathroom, because Benny’s Bodacious Book Club said so! That way, the next time someone asks you to convince them that Moshiach is already here, you'll have something better to say than, 'Because Rabbi so and so said so.'
The first book to be showcased in Benny's Bodacious Book Club is a book about a startling trend in warfare in recent history. As is well known, one of the key signs heralding the coming of the King Moshiach, a.k.a. the Jewish Messiah, is the end of war. "And he, [the king Moshiach,] will judge many nations... [and as a result] They shall beat their swords in to plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore." That was from Isaiah, the prophet [not your alcoholic roommate at Yeshivah University.] Furthermore, the Rambam codifies this matter as law. But war is still around, right?
Perhaps not, says John Mueller, author of 'The Remnants of War,' our first book in Benny's Bodacious Book Club. In this book, Mueller, a political scientist, advances the theory that war has been in steady decline in recent history, and trends show that it may be at an end. Indeed, major war between developed nations has not been witnessed since World War II.
In his words, "The most notable and striking statistic in the history of warfare is zero: the number of wars conducted between developed states since the end of World War II. This is a massive shattering of historical precedent for these once-war-like countries; indeed, they have now been at peace with each other for the longest stretch of time in their history. "Given the scale and frequency of war during the preceding centuries in Europe," notes Luard, "This is a change of spectacular proportions; perhaps the single most striking discontinuity that the history of warfare has anywhere provided." " ( Page 81, emphasis is mine.)
Indeed, it seems one need only open his eyes and see that the world is a lot safer than it used to be. The only wars left, Mueller contends, are wars predicated by small bands of criminals which could easily be policed by disciplined armies of America and the like. Mueller takes us on an exciting ride through history, showing how the popular conception of war has changed over the ages. Interestingly, war was once considered to be a desirable, purifying, and fun enterprise, that is, until the anti-war movement and the horrors of Wolrd Wars I and II.
In my humble opinion, this would support the theory that World War II and related events constitute the ‘birthpangs of Moshiach,’ the terrible events that will take place shortly before the Moshiach arrives. And with war on the decline, look out for King Moshiach to put it permanently to rest. So go ahead and buy one of John Mueller’s ‘The Remnants of War’ to put in the bathroom, because Benny’s Bodacious Book Club said so! That way, the next time someone asks you to convince them that Moshiach is already here, you'll have something better to say than, 'Because Rabbi so and so said so.'
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The 24th of Teves the Alter Rebbe's yartzheit.
The twenty fourth of Teves is the Alter Rebbes yortzeit. The Alter Rebbe's father was a chosid of the Baal Shem Tov but the Baal Shem Tov told his father not to tell him that he is a chosid. He wanted that the Alter Rebbe should come to chassidism on his own. Also the Baal Shem Tov did not want that the Alter Rebbe Should see the Baal Shem Tov. He wanted that the Alter Rebbe should be mekushar to the Maagid of Mezritch.
The Alter Rebbe was married already and he followed the path of avoda as taught by the Shaloh but at a certain point he felt that he was not satisfied with his service of G-d. At that time there were known to be two great centers of Torah, the Vilna Gaon in Vilna and the Maagid in Mezritch. It was also known that if you want to learn how to learn (nigla) you go to Vilna and if you want to learn how to serve the Aibishter you should go to Mezritch. The Alter Rebbe said that to learn he knows how to but to serve G-d he could improve on so he set out for Mezritch. He stayed there for a short time and he liked it but did not see anything there which should compel him to stay so he decided that he will go back. He was getting his horse and carriage ready to go. When he was there in Mezritch the Maagid gave his son Avraham the Malach to learn with Alter Rebbe. So now the Malach said to the Alter Rebbe "when you whip your horses you should whip them until they know that they are horses" and another version is "you should whip your horses until they cease to be horses". When the Alter Rebbe heard this he said that there is something very deep behind this and that he must go back and learn what it is.The horses represent the body of the person or his animal soul and one must not let his animal soul take control of what the person must do or think but the body has to be made known that it is only a "horse" and to obey it's owner. This way the body can accomplish very great things but only when it knows who it's master is. The second higher level of service is when the body and animal soul itself are transformed and become G-dly themselves and desire nothing else but G-d.
So the Alter Rebbe made a u turn and went back to Mezritch and became the greatest disciple of the Maagid.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Hundreds Protest Global Warming - This is just too funny
Hundreds Protest Global Warming - This is just too funny! A good friend sent this to me and when I saw it, it made me smile.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Father Avraham Makes Up a Minyan
An amazing story:
The city of Hevron, many years ago, did not always have ten Jewish adults, but for the Jewish Sabbath and for the holidays they always managed a minyan.
One, on the day before Yom Kippur, a count was made, and it was discovered that some people had left for Jerusalem that day, and there were only 9 adults for the holiday. For the first time in history, there would be no minyan in the synagogue on Yom Kippur.
They waited until the last minute, hoping that perhaps a nearby Jewish farmer would show up, but no one came. Many Jews preferred to spend the day in Jerusalem which was only a few hours away. It offered them an opportunity to spend part of the day praying a the Kosel Maarovi, (the wailing wall). The remaining nine people were very upset at not having a minyan, and many actually cried.
Just as the sun was about to set, which meant that the holy day was about to start, they noticed a person approaching from a distance. He was old, with a long silver-white beard. They all rushed to meet the new arrival, quickly took him to the nearest residence, and serviced him a hurried meal. However he did not eat the meal, claiming that he had already eaten the seudah hamafsekes, (the last meal that one partakes of before the start of the holy day). The old man thanked them and blessed them. With joy in their hearts, they started for the nearby synagogue. They spent all that evening and the next day praying to the L-rd and thanking Him for providing them with a tenth for the minyan.
When they finished the services for the next evening, each man was anxious to have the guest in his home for the evening meal. They seldom had guests and wanted to observe the great mitzvah of hachnasas orchim. They had no alternative but to cast lots to determine who would be the lucky one to have the guest at his house. This was soon done, and the lucky person to win the mitzvah was the cantor who was known to be a great tzaddik.
The cantor rushed home with the guest following him. As they reached the door, the cantor stepped aside to give the important guest the honor of entering the house first. To his great astonishment he discovered that the guest, who was walking behind him just a minute before, was not there. The whole congregation started to look for the guest. They searched the yard and the street, but it seemed that he had disappeared. They were all dismayed that the guest had left without partaking of their food. That night the old man appeared for the cantor in a dream and revealed to him that he was father Avraham who was laid to rest in the me'aras hamachpela, the double cave located nearby. He had come to complete the minyan for Yom Kippur.
The congregation was very happy, blessed G-d for the great miracle, and thanked Him for His kindness to them.
-(Seforim)
From: Torah thoughts Book Three, by Leo Gartenberg published in 1966.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Metoch Shelo Lishmo Bo Lishmo, says NPR News!
I heard an interesting piece from the NPR Morning Edition today (link here). Tovia Smith was interviewing different professors and business people about whether it is better to give charity for the wrong reason or not give at all (unless you're doing it for the right reasons). The story said that these days it pays a lot more for companies to give to charity and that these days it's a must for most businesses!
These are the Torah's sentiments. This really shows that the Torah has penetrated the deepest levels of society that also non-Jews understand these Torah values and ideals very well and speak about them. This shows, of course, that we have preapared the world fully down to the "lowest of places" for the revelation of God in this world, and are standing ready for the complete and final redemption. All we need now is for the King Messiah to come and redeem us all out of this dreamy state of exile that we are currently in.
Since the Torah has the same question about learning Torah, doing mitzovs and tzedaka, this piece caught my attention. The Talmud says that a person should learn Torah even when it's not for its' own sake in order that eventually he will come to learning Torah for its' own sake (lishmo). I once heard that chassidus says that the wording metoch shelo leshmo bo lishmo can be read as within (metoch) the shelo lishom is already bo lishmo meaning that even when a person does a good thing with the wrong intention inside, on a deeper level, he is really doing it with the right intentions also. Which brings me to the main point, the reporter said in the end of the piece:
"It may be increasingly hard to fool both consumers and college admissions officials, but it's also true that those who start out giving for the wrong reasons are often changed by the experience and end up wanting to give more for the right ones."
"It may be increasingly hard to fool both consumers and college admissions officials, but it's also true that those who start out giving for the wrong reasons are often changed by the experience and end up wanting to give more for the right ones."
These are the Torah's sentiments. This really shows that the Torah has penetrated the deepest levels of society that also non-Jews understand these Torah values and ideals very well and speak about them. This shows, of course, that we have preapared the world fully down to the "lowest of places" for the revelation of God in this world, and are standing ready for the complete and final redemption. All we need now is for the King Messiah to come and redeem us all out of this dreamy state of exile that we are currently in.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Chabad - the Closest Religion to Judaism by Adam Reiss
b”h
A friend of mine recently sent me an article about a rabbi in England who was arrested after a week long binge of cocaine and hedonism (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6924293.ece ). A wealthy man, a prominent figure in the community. Something was upsetting enough about the story to make the international news circuit. Now, conspiracy theory set aside (that a latent or not so latent antisemitism in the media picked up the story to prove the hypocrisy of orthodox Judaism), there is something disconcerting about the fact that after the passing of his wife this fellow sank into a depraved life of drugs and women. In spite of all of his religiosity, or some may say as a consequence of it, something was missing and that something he tried to make up for by other means. But the question still remains, something is missing from many people's lives and their stories don't make it all the way into my email inbox. So what is so bothersome about this man, a rabbi, falling prey to his baser instincts?
The Chassidic movement of the Baal Shem Tov began as a revivalist movement about three hundred years ago with a conscious goal. The false messianism of Shabtai Tvi, the pograms of Tach v'Tat, and the European Enlightenment had left the Jewish world in shambles. Education was very possibly at an all time low. With all the best intentions the rabbis of the day forbade the studying of kabbalah because Shabtai Tzvi's movement validated itself on the basis of heretical interpretations of certain passages in the Zohar and the teachings of Isaac Luria. All of these factors combined to create an atmosphere of rampant poverty, both materially and spiritually. The rabbis conglomerated their power to keep Judaism alive in the face of its oppressors, and advocated an approach of the most limited observance and unflinching obediance for the peasant class. The vicious cycle begun, the fate of the simple folk to live in ignorance was all but sealed when the Baal Shem Tov arrived. The true mark of genius is that the paradigm shift it engenders appears after the fact as having been totally common sensical from the outset. Thus, to describe his message is difficult, because it was neither radical nor conservative, novel nor traditional. Like a sculptor chiselling away at a stone to reveal a new form the Baal Shem Tov did not innovate in the true sense of the word. His message, that the spirit of the law and the letter of the law are inextricably bound and that one cannot exist nor substitute for the other is the fundament of all of Judaism. That God communicates with man, and that his chosen method for doing so is through the Torah, and that through its proper observance man can achieve a contact with the Divine even unto the level of prophecy – that is the message of Abraham and Moses, David and Maimonides.
There was another time in Jewish history when similar problems threatened the Jewish people. Foreign occupation, ecclesiasticism, and false messianism. It is a time we don't like to think too much about, perhaps because it's problems are similar to our own. One solution which presented itself at the time was the total abrogation of the Torah. The Christian movement claimed that the spirit of the law was in contradistinction to the letter of the law, and at that point it ceased completely to be Jewish. Confronted with a Jewish world that looked much like the one leading up to the destruction of the Temple, the Baal Shem Tov offered a solution that the proper observance of the Torah requires more than the routine performance of empty rites. He offered this solution, however, only after recognizing that there was a problem.
A rabbi in England hooked on drugs, so-called Chasidim in Jerusalem throwing stones at their fellow Jews on Shabbos, and Jewish family men sitting in Federal prison for embezzlement – how have things come to this? Does it mean that the Torah is a lie and its exemplars hypocrites? How can it be that less than five hundred years after the redaction of the Shulchan Aruch we can ease our consciences by living in a manner which is externally flawless and yet completely out of touch with the sentiment that Yosef Caro took for granted we would have when studying and trying to live by his work? I hear many people joke that Chabad is the closest religion to Judaism. A joke being like a frog (when you dissect it you kill it) notwithstanding, I can assume that what they are driving at is with its departure from many of the popular customs of European and American Jewry and its strong Messianic leanings Chabad looks like something new. But the truth is often said in jest and they have a point. Chabad recognizes that there is a problem with rote and feelingless observance. As spiritual heirs of the Baal Shem Tov our solution to that problem is recognizing that the letter of the law needs the spirit of the law and vice versa—the beginning is wedged in the end and the end in the beginning—and that this is not something close to Judaism, that this is Judaism.
A friend of mine recently sent me an article about a rabbi in England who was arrested after a week long binge of cocaine and hedonism (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/
The Chassidic movement of the Baal Shem Tov began as a revivalist movement about three hundred years ago with a conscious goal. The false messianism of Shabtai Tvi, the pograms of Tach v'Tat, and the European Enlightenment had left the Jewish world in shambles. Education was very possibly at an all time low. With all the best intentions the rabbis of the day forbade the studying of kabbalah because Shabtai Tzvi's movement validated itself on the basis of heretical interpretations of certain passages in the Zohar and the teachings of Isaac Luria. All of these factors combined to create an atmosphere of rampant poverty, both materially and spiritually. The rabbis conglomerated their power to keep Judaism alive in the face of its oppressors, and advocated an approach of the most limited observance and unflinching obediance for the peasant class. The vicious cycle begun, the fate of the simple folk to live in ignorance was all but sealed when the Baal Shem Tov arrived. The true mark of genius is that the paradigm shift it engenders appears after the fact as having been totally common sensical from the outset. Thus, to describe his message is difficult, because it was neither radical nor conservative, novel nor traditional. Like a sculptor chiselling away at a stone to reveal a new form the Baal Shem Tov did not innovate in the true sense of the word. His message, that the spirit of the law and the letter of the law are inextricably bound and that one cannot exist nor substitute for the other is the fundament of all of Judaism. That God communicates with man, and that his chosen method for doing so is through the Torah, and that through its proper observance man can achieve a contact with the Divine even unto the level of prophecy – that is the message of Abraham and Moses, David and Maimonides.
There was another time in Jewish history when similar problems threatened the Jewish people. Foreign occupation, ecclesiasticism, and false messianism. It is a time we don't like to think too much about, perhaps because it's problems are similar to our own. One solution which presented itself at the time was the total abrogation of the Torah. The Christian movement claimed that the spirit of the law was in contradistinction to the letter of the law, and at that point it ceased completely to be Jewish. Confronted with a Jewish world that looked much like the one leading up to the destruction of the Temple, the Baal Shem Tov offered a solution that the proper observance of the Torah requires more than the routine performance of empty rites. He offered this solution, however, only after recognizing that there was a problem.
A rabbi in England hooked on drugs, so-called Chasidim in Jerusalem throwing stones at their fellow Jews on Shabbos, and Jewish family men sitting in Federal prison for embezzlement – how have things come to this? Does it mean that the Torah is a lie and its exemplars hypocrites? How can it be that less than five hundred years after the redaction of the Shulchan Aruch we can ease our consciences by living in a manner which is externally flawless and yet completely out of touch with the sentiment that Yosef Caro took for granted we would have when studying and trying to live by his work? I hear many people joke that Chabad is the closest religion to Judaism. A joke being like a frog (when you dissect it you kill it) notwithstanding, I can assume that what they are driving at is with its departure from many of the popular customs of European and American Jewry and its strong Messianic leanings Chabad looks like something new. But the truth is often said in jest and they have a point. Chabad recognizes that there is a problem with rote and feelingless observance. As spiritual heirs of the Baal Shem Tov our solution to that problem is recognizing that the letter of the law needs the spirit of the law and vice versa—the beginning is wedged in the end and the end in the beginning—and that this is not something close to Judaism, that this is Judaism.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
What Israel Can Learn From Obama's Nobel Speech
Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize- that’s right, the leader of a nation in the midst of two WARS won a PEACE prize. If you ask me, this all makes a lot of sense. Sometimes the best defense is a good offense. Israel has a lot to learn from the commander-in-chief of the greatest army on the planet.
For one, some wars are Just. If an attack in New York can justify a war on the other side of the planet, certainly Israel can justify against an enemy much closer to home. Secondly, war is sometimes the only way. In the words of our President, “Negotiations cannot convince Al-Qaida's leaders to lay down their arms.” Let us all please do our part to convince our Israeli brothers and sisters that terrorists cannot be reasoned with, and that “Evil does exist in the world,” as Obama said. Thirdly, war as a preventative measure has been SUCESSFUL in bringing peace: “…the plain fact is this: The United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms.”
Indeed, one who pursues such a ‘Just War’ is worthy of receiving a PEACE prize because war can actually lead to peace. It may seem paradoxical, but you don't have to quote me! Obama has supported a war, won a peace prize for it, and was not ashamed to justify this war in front of the whole world. It is therefore quite fitting that Obama’s speech happened to occur so near to Chanukah, a celebration of a victorious Jewish war. May our Israeli brothers stand strong in what is most certainly a JUST WAR. And may the next peace prize go to the Israeli leader who has the guts to face the truth and make peace through war.
For one, some wars are Just. If an attack in New York can justify a war on the other side of the planet, certainly Israel can justify against an enemy much closer to home. Secondly, war is sometimes the only way. In the words of our President, “Negotiations cannot convince Al-Qaida's leaders to lay down their arms.” Let us all please do our part to convince our Israeli brothers and sisters that terrorists cannot be reasoned with, and that “Evil does exist in the world,” as Obama said. Thirdly, war as a preventative measure has been SUCESSFUL in bringing peace: “…the plain fact is this: The United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms.”
Indeed, one who pursues such a ‘Just War’ is worthy of receiving a PEACE prize because war can actually lead to peace. It may seem paradoxical, but you don't have to quote me! Obama has supported a war, won a peace prize for it, and was not ashamed to justify this war in front of the whole world. It is therefore quite fitting that Obama’s speech happened to occur so near to Chanukah, a celebration of a victorious Jewish war. May our Israeli brothers stand strong in what is most certainly a JUST WAR. And may the next peace prize go to the Israeli leader who has the guts to face the truth and make peace through war.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Moshiach Mystery
Can You Solve the Moshiach Mystery?
There has been a long standing mystery surrounding Moshiach, or Jewish Messiah: Does the King Moshiach have to perform miracles for us in order to prove himself? Doesn’t every Jew you ask on the street just know that Moshiach has to do miracles? Being that the Rambam is the accepted legal authority on the who, what, where, and how of Moshiach, the answer should be easy… yet here is where the real mystery begins:
In the Rambam’s legal magnum opus, he declares, ‘Do not think that the King Moshiach will make miracles, or create new things, or perform resurrections and the like. It is not so.”(Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings, Chapter 11, Law 3) Ah, it looks like we have the answer: Moshiach doesn’t have to do miracles after all! But wait: when one reads the Rambams letters entitled, ‘Iggeret HaTeimani,’ the Rambam states that a certain man who was claiming to be Moshiach must not be the one because he has not performed any miracles. What is going on here? Is this the same Rambam? Must Moshaich perform miracles or not? I’ve seen Rabbi Velpo give a very satisfactory resolution to this mess in his sefer, ‘Yechi HaMelech.’ I shall do my best to give over his answer:
First of all, lets make one thing clear: the Mishneh Torah, where the Rambam states that Moshaich need not perform miracles, is the final and authoritative ruling on the matter. Therefore, Moshiach need not perform miracles. However, Moshiach must be victorious in the ‘Wars of Hashem,’ build the temple, and gather in all of the Jews to Israel. All this is stated pretty clearly by the Rambam. In other words, Moshiach is defined by his active pursuit of, and his ultimate victory in, the above stipulations. Therefore, Moshiach does not have to perform a miracle if and only if it is possible to fulfill the above stipulations by natural means. Being that Moshiach can come at any moment, then even in an era where it is impossible for one to build the temple without a miracle, Moshaich can still come in a supernatural manner. Or as the sages put, “If we merit, Moshiach will come riding the clouds of glory [now that’s a pimpin‘ ride!]. If we don’t merit, he will come riding a donkey [somewhat of a less cool way to roll].”
Now lets put ourselves in the Rambam’s shoes and ask ourselves, ‘Is it possible for someone to build the temple without a miracle in the historical period that he lived in? During the Rambam’s time, there was no significant Jewish presence in Israel. In fact, some sort of Sultan ruled over our land at that time. So while it is true that Moshiach does not have to perform a miracle, nevertheless, he does have to build the temple, among other things. Now, was it possible for any Jew at that time to build the temple without a miracle?? The answer, as all can see, is ‘No, it was impossible to build the temple without a miracle because there is a foreign king in control of the temple mount at this time, and the Jews have no army with which to drive him off our land.’
By contrast, during the time of Bar Kochba, the Jews had a large army, as the Gemara in Gittin states, and it was quite feasible, at that time, that Bar Kochba could have kicked out the Romans [which in fact he did for some years] and build the temple, all without performing any miracles. Therefore, being that Bar Kochba was poised to fulfill the stipulations required of Moshiach, he was not pressed to perform miracles. All he needed to do was encourage all Jewry to follow the Torah, defeat the enemies of the Jews, build the Temple, and gather in the exiles. All these conditions were within reach; no miracles were required for him to attain these goals.
In the Rambam’s times, however, things were quite different. Being that there were hardly any Jews living in Israel, and the Jews had no army, the only way someone could build the temple was through miraculous means. There simply was no way for anyone to conquer the land of Israel through a natural war. It just wasn’t possible at that time, in contrast to the time of Bar Kochba. Being that there was no other way, at that time in history, the Rambam required a miracle of anyone in his time claiming to be Moshiach. How else could Moshiach build the temple at that time?
Now, one may ask: in which type of period do we live in? Do we live in a period like the Rambam’s time, where it would take a miracle to gain control of Israel and, especially, the Temple Mount? Or, do we live in a time more like the era Rabbi Akiva lived in, where the Jews had a large presence in Israel, and a great army at their disposal? Right after the Six Day War, control of the Temple Mount was in Jewish hands. Furthermore, Israel’s army has had the reputation of being invincible, at various times.
Therefore, I say that we live in a time similar to the time of Rabbi Akiva, in this respect. Moshaich need not perform a miracle to gain control of the Temple Mount. Most people have a misconception that Moshiach is synonymous with great miracles. It is not so. In fact, Chassidus explains that if we truly merit it, Moshiach will come in a natural manner. May Moshiach reveal himself now and rebuild the Temple!
There has been a long standing mystery surrounding Moshiach, or Jewish Messiah: Does the King Moshiach have to perform miracles for us in order to prove himself? Doesn’t every Jew you ask on the street just know that Moshiach has to do miracles? Being that the Rambam is the accepted legal authority on the who, what, where, and how of Moshiach, the answer should be easy… yet here is where the real mystery begins:
In the Rambam’s legal magnum opus, he declares, ‘Do not think that the King Moshiach will make miracles, or create new things, or perform resurrections and the like. It is not so.”(Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings, Chapter 11, Law 3) Ah, it looks like we have the answer: Moshiach doesn’t have to do miracles after all! But wait: when one reads the Rambams letters entitled, ‘Iggeret HaTeimani,’ the Rambam states that a certain man who was claiming to be Moshiach must not be the one because he has not performed any miracles. What is going on here? Is this the same Rambam? Must Moshaich perform miracles or not? I’ve seen Rabbi Velpo give a very satisfactory resolution to this mess in his sefer, ‘Yechi HaMelech.’ I shall do my best to give over his answer:
First of all, lets make one thing clear: the Mishneh Torah, where the Rambam states that Moshaich need not perform miracles, is the final and authoritative ruling on the matter. Therefore, Moshiach need not perform miracles. However, Moshiach must be victorious in the ‘Wars of Hashem,’ build the temple, and gather in all of the Jews to Israel. All this is stated pretty clearly by the Rambam. In other words, Moshiach is defined by his active pursuit of, and his ultimate victory in, the above stipulations. Therefore, Moshiach does not have to perform a miracle if and only if it is possible to fulfill the above stipulations by natural means. Being that Moshiach can come at any moment, then even in an era where it is impossible for one to build the temple without a miracle, Moshaich can still come in a supernatural manner. Or as the sages put, “If we merit, Moshiach will come riding the clouds of glory [now that’s a pimpin‘ ride!]. If we don’t merit, he will come riding a donkey [somewhat of a less cool way to roll].”
Now lets put ourselves in the Rambam’s shoes and ask ourselves, ‘Is it possible for someone to build the temple without a miracle in the historical period that he lived in? During the Rambam’s time, there was no significant Jewish presence in Israel. In fact, some sort of Sultan ruled over our land at that time. So while it is true that Moshiach does not have to perform a miracle, nevertheless, he does have to build the temple, among other things. Now, was it possible for any Jew at that time to build the temple without a miracle?? The answer, as all can see, is ‘No, it was impossible to build the temple without a miracle because there is a foreign king in control of the temple mount at this time, and the Jews have no army with which to drive him off our land.’
By contrast, during the time of Bar Kochba, the Jews had a large army, as the Gemara in Gittin states, and it was quite feasible, at that time, that Bar Kochba could have kicked out the Romans [which in fact he did for some years] and build the temple, all without performing any miracles. Therefore, being that Bar Kochba was poised to fulfill the stipulations required of Moshiach, he was not pressed to perform miracles. All he needed to do was encourage all Jewry to follow the Torah, defeat the enemies of the Jews, build the Temple, and gather in the exiles. All these conditions were within reach; no miracles were required for him to attain these goals.
In the Rambam’s times, however, things were quite different. Being that there were hardly any Jews living in Israel, and the Jews had no army, the only way someone could build the temple was through miraculous means. There simply was no way for anyone to conquer the land of Israel through a natural war. It just wasn’t possible at that time, in contrast to the time of Bar Kochba. Being that there was no other way, at that time in history, the Rambam required a miracle of anyone in his time claiming to be Moshiach. How else could Moshiach build the temple at that time?
Now, one may ask: in which type of period do we live in? Do we live in a period like the Rambam’s time, where it would take a miracle to gain control of Israel and, especially, the Temple Mount? Or, do we live in a time more like the era Rabbi Akiva lived in, where the Jews had a large presence in Israel, and a great army at their disposal? Right after the Six Day War, control of the Temple Mount was in Jewish hands. Furthermore, Israel’s army has had the reputation of being invincible, at various times.
Therefore, I say that we live in a time similar to the time of Rabbi Akiva, in this respect. Moshaich need not perform a miracle to gain control of the Temple Mount. Most people have a misconception that Moshiach is synonymous with great miracles. It is not so. In fact, Chassidus explains that if we truly merit it, Moshiach will come in a natural manner. May Moshiach reveal himself now and rebuild the Temple!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Truth and Life - a 19 Kislev Post.
Truth and Life are two things that a person wants by nature. If you were to offer somebody a perfect life on the condition that he would be put to sleep, he would be in a dream state for the rest of his life. He would have dreams and fantasies be put into his subconscious for the rest of his life. Who would ever agree to such a thing? Nobody. But why? it would be seemingly perfect. There are two problems with such an arrangement, it is not emes, truth, and it is not chaim, life. G-d is called both Truth and Life.
The Rebbe Rashab wrote "the 19th of Kislev...is a festival on which "He redeemed our soul in peace," and our soul's illumination and vitality were given to us, this day is Rosh Hashana for Chassidus bequeathed us by our sacred forebears, identical with the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov."
Light (Ohr) and liveliness (chayus).
Chassidus is that which gives us light which illuminates for us the truth of the world.
Chassidus also gives us liveliness (chayus) to live a life full of vitality.
Happy Yud Tes Kislev.
The Rebbe Rashab wrote "the 19th of Kislev...is a festival on which "He redeemed our soul in peace," and our soul's illumination and vitality were given to us, this day is Rosh Hashana for Chassidus bequeathed us by our sacred forebears, identical with the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov."
Light (Ohr) and liveliness (chayus).
Chassidus is that which gives us light which illuminates for us the truth of the world.
Chassidus also gives us liveliness (chayus) to live a life full of vitality.
Happy Yud Tes Kislev.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
nervous about economy - nervous about fulfilling mitzovos
nervous about economy - nervous about fulfilling mitzovos
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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